The Complete Works in Philosophy, Politics and Morals of the late Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Vol. 3 [of 3]

By Benjamin Franklin

Page 264

it becomes difficult to know their minds,or what impression you make upon them. The missionaries who haveattempted to convert them to christianity, all complain of this asone of the great difficulties of their mission. The Indians hear withpatience the truths of the gospel explained to them, and give theirusual tokens of assent and approbation: you would think they wereconvinced. No such matter. It is mere civility.

A Swedish minister, having assembled the chiefs of the SasquehannahIndians, made a sermon to them, acquainting them with the principalhistorical facts on which our religion is founded; such as the fallof our first parents by eating an apple, the coming of Christ torepair the mischief, his miracles and suffering, &c.--When he hadfinished, an Indian orator stood up to thank him. "What you have toldus," says he, "is all very good. It is indeed bad to eat apples. Itis better to make them all into cyder. We are much obliged by yourkindness in coming so far, to tell us those things which you haveheard from your mothers. In return, I will tell you some of those wehave heard from ours.

"In the beginning, our fathers had only the flesh of animals tosubsist on, and if their hunting was unsuccessful, they werestarving. Two of our young hunters having killed a deer, made a firein the woods to broil some parts of it. When they were about tosatisfy their hunger, they beheld a beautiful young woman descendfrom the clouds, and seat herself on that hill which you see yonderamong the Blue Mountains. They said to each other, it is a spiritthat perhaps has smelt our broiling venison, and wishes to eat ofit: let us offer some to her. They presented her with the tongue:she was pleased with the taste of it, and said, Your kindness shallbe rewarded. Come to this place after thirteen moons, and you shallfind something that will be of great benefit in nourishing you andyour children to the latest generations. They did so, and to theirsurprise, found plants they had never seen before; but which, fromthat ancient time, have been constantly cultivated among us, toour great advantage. Where her right hand had touched the ground,they found maize; where her left hand had touched it, they foundkidney-beans; and where her backside had sat on it, they foundtobacco." The good missionary, disgusted with this idle tale, said,"What I delivered to you were sacred truths, but what you tell

' They joined in desiring him
to speak his mind, and, gathering round him, he proceeded as follows:
'Friends,' says he, 'the taxes are indeed very heavy; and, if those
laid on by the government were the only ones we had to pay, we might
more easily discharge them; but we have many others, and much more
grievous to some of us.

'But what madness it must be to run in debt for these superfluities? We
are offered, by the terms of this sale, six months credit; and that,
perhaps, has induced some of us to attend it, because we cannot spare
the ready money, and hope now to be fine without it.

yet you are
about to put yourself under that tyranny, when you run in debt for such
dress! Your creditor has authority, at his pleasure, to deprive you
of your liberty, by confining you in gaol for life, or by selling you
for a servant, if you should not be able to pay him.